


Choose

by reaperlight



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Timeline Changes, Dubious Morality, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Frustration, Homophobia, Humor, Kinda, Light is the Sasuke of Death Note, Light's cover girlfriends - Freeform, M/M, Obsession, Redemption, Serial Killers, Star Trek References, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, improbable scenarios
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2015-02-03
Packaged: 2018-03-10 07:39:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3282338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reaperlight/pseuds/reaperlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Light isn't too fond of Valentine's Day. As it turns out neither is L...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Choose

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by the new musical demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mod2RgRfZvw&index=3&list=FLM2CFpnQLwo2DUJ6zebbNmA to write pointless Lawlight fluff.

Light was on his way to work from school when he noticed that his bag was much heavier than it should be. Ryuk had gleefully informed him as to why. The college freshman suppressed a growl and upon arriving at headquarters, much to the surprise of everyone there, unceremoniously dumped the contents of his bag out onto the hotel’s coffee table for all to see. 

Now such an act may seem counterintuitive when you’ve been named the main suspect in a murder investigation and all of your colleagues are detectives but of course Light kept nothing incriminating in his bag just in case it was searched. If anything such an impulsive act of frustration would further cement his mask of being a typical college student in the minds of the officers and further demonstrate that he truly had nothing to hide.

Light groaned upon discovering that Ryuk hadn’t been exaggerating—all of Light’s various stalkers had managed to slip boxes of candy and sappy cards into every compartment of his bag so when Light dumped the bag they all spilled out into an impossibly large pile that practically covered the coffee table. 

**“ _Popular,_ as always!”** Ryuk sniggered.

Light balked both at the sheer _number_ of them and the fact that they managed to sneak this by him. He didn’t usually leave his bag unattended, especially not on _this_ day, but he had admittedly been a bit stressed of late balancing his busy schedule of school, work, and judgments and then he had gotten to thinking about L and what his next move might be and he had honestly forgotten what day it was. 

“Sorry,” Light chuckled sheepishly. “I hate Valentine’s Day.” 

“Light!” Souichiro scolded him on cue and Light barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. 

Light knew he wasn’t supposed to say such things in public but at the moment he really was too irritated to care. Valentine’s Day was truly the bane of Light Yagami’s existence seeing as it was expected that he not only put up with but indulge the simpering idiots. 

Aizawa picked up one of the cards and began reading. “‘To my darling, Light…’” 

“Oh _god,_ ” Light groaned as the taskforce snickered around him and Souichiro scolded him again though Light wasn’t sure what he did to gain his ire this time. There were cards and chocolates from Misa, Kiyomi, Emi, Shiho, Mayu, Shiori, and a whole host of others. They all wanted a piece of him and Light, honestly, couldn't care less. 

“That’s today, isn’t it? It never held much meaning for me,” L murmured before taking a sip of his tea. 

That gave Light pause. For some reason he found the sound of L’s soft baritone soothing today—probably just because it was a welcome change to the others' inane shrieking. 

“Want it, Ryuuzaki? There’s a lot of candy here.” Light offered, shifting the pile towards L.. 

“ _Light!_ ” Souichiro again admonished him, appalled by his son’s behavior. 

“What? You know I’m not that interested in sweets. I have no use for it and they’d be going to waste otherwise.” 

“Son, those girls worked hard to get you those things. You should at least show some appreciation…” 

“I’ll be sure to send them heart-felt thank you notes, then,” Light assured him. And he would—he had a form letter drafted up for just such occasions. 

Souichiro harrumphed but for the moment seemed inclined to let the matter drop. 

“Oh! You’re so lucky!” Matsuda moaned while dramatically collapsing across the table top. “I wish I was you! You get all the chicks!” 

“Matsuda…” Aizawa groaned. 

“I hardly consider myself lucky to attract so many stalkers…” 

( _“Light!”_ )

“I would gladly trade with you, Matsuda…” 

“Really?” Matsuda asked oh-so hopefully. 

“...Provided I didn’t become an idiot in the process.”

“I’m afraid that would be unavoidable,” L murmured as he got off his cellphone and the rookie sagged with exaggerated sadness.

“Knock it off!” Aizawa scolded while dragging Matsuda bodily back to his stack of papers. 

Light startled when a strange man in a trench coat and fedora entered the hotel room. This must be the famous Watari, L’s handler that he’d heard so much about. Light was surprised—he’d never seen Watari before. The handler had only ever communicated with the taskforce behind a screen and for a while Light had questioned his very existence, wondering if “Watari” might just be a smokescreen for L. So why reveal him now? Not that he really revealed himself. Light couldn’t see his face under the black mask and scarf the spook wore and he doubted that “Watari” was his real name anyway… 

“They’re clean,” Watari announced upon waving what appeared to be a cellphone over the candies. 

“Is that a tricorder?” Light asked incredulously. 

“Something like that. It’s just something Watari put together in his spare time,” L said dismissively as he reached for the candies now that Watari had cleared them of any drugs or tampering. “Chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate covered strawberries, candy hearts…”

Souichiro frowned at L. “Isn’t that a bit paranoid?” 

Ryuuzaki fixed the police chief with a blank look. He was L. That meant he received death threats several times a day even without the threat of Kira hanging over his head. 

“Dad, it pays to be cautious!” Light argued as his father and Ryuuzaki continued their stare off. “I was just going to suggest he be careful with them—remember that time in fifth grade when someone spiked the lemonade?” 

“That was one time, Light! Not everyone is like that and you can’t live your life in fear.”

“I’m _not_ …!” Light began but then bit his tongue, well aware of his audience and it would do him no favors to have his father continue chastising him like a misbehaving child in front of L and the taskforce. 

“Wow, that’s a lot of cards,” Aizawa whistled in alarm as he began stacking the cards and paper hearts to one side of the table so they might get some actual work done. 

“Light, you _player._ ”

Aizawa shook his head. “ _Matsuda…_ ” 

“Come now, that’s enough my son is an adult and his love life is his own concern.” 

“Someone’s gonna get lucky tonight—”

“ _I don’t like girls!_ ” Light snapped, at his wits end. Just, he really, really hated Valentinte’s day and what the taskforce, these “respected professionals” were suggesting… it was _disgusting_ and… 

Light glanced up and was alarmed to notice that everyone was staring at him and he belatedly realized that he had accidentally outed himself to the entire taskforce. 

Crap. There went his carefully crafted mask of normalcy cracking and tumbling down. Well in the long run it could be worse—better they think him gay than Kira.

Light buried his face in his hands. “I really hate Valentine’s Day.” 

“You should pick one of the girls to go out with,” Souichiro insisted as if he hadn’t heard his son’s outburst. 

“I thought Light-kun was an adult and could make adult decisions,” L remarked in between sucking on a chocolate-covered strawberry. 

“I was mistaken. He’s clearly too young to understand.”

L popped the strawberry in and out of his mouth with a series of loud, obnoxious smacks. 

“I’ve never had a valentine before. Thank you, Light-kun.” L said quietly, pale spidery fingers slowly and delicately untying the ribbon from one of the heart shaped boxes. 

He had to turn away from L’s gaze, his cheeks burning oddly warm. Light didn’t know what was wrong with him today and it was utterly humiliating to lose it like that so completely. 

And was L seriously suggesting…? 

No. No, way. That was impossible. L would never suggest such a thing to Kira…. Would he? 

“I-It’s just candy, Ryuuzaki. I thought you liked candy. That’s all there is to it. Why should the shape of the box matter anyway?” Light wheedled, blissfully unaware of the cute dusting of pink spreading across the bridge of his nose. 

“Uh huh.” 

“You should pick one, Light,” Souichiro insisted. “It’s not fair to the girls otherwise.” 

Light wasn’t sure why it was getting to him today but it was like something had just snapped inside of him and for a frightening moment his calm and collected mask dissolved completely. It seemed like everyone was pushing him in a certain direction—Misa, Rem, and now his own father. Why must he be shackled to some obnoxious idiot he had nothing in common with? Was he not a God? Fuck, he had had it with this stupid holiday! 

“You’re right. It’s not fair. A lot of things in life are not fair. It’s not fair that they shower me with gifts when Matsuda and Ryuuzaki never get any. It’s not fair to the girls who don’t get chosen nor would it be fair to any girl I might choose because I cannot love them. And it’s not fair to put this expectation on me. _I can’t do this._ ” 

“You have to choose someone.” 

“ _Then I choose Ryuuzaki,_ ” Light snarled petulantly. 

Light froze and seemed to wake from whatever spell he’d been under (perhaps induced from staring too long into the abyss of Ryuuzaki’s eyes) by the sound of Ryuk's harsh cackling behind him. He immediately berated himself. What the hell was _wrong_ with him today?! It was yet another stupid, impulsive decision and he wasn’t even sure _why_ he said it. He just didn’t want to end up shackled to some stupid girl! It was just… L was always on his mind and for some reason when asked who he wouldn’t mind being shackled to his mind had immediately jumped to Ryuuzaki. 

Well why not? It would put him closer to L and Kira needed to be closer to L.

Okay, maybe not _this_ close. 

No, he definitely didn’t _need_ to be this close to L. He _wanted_ to be this close to L. 

Oh God, was he actually developing _feelings_ for his nemesis?! No, this was horrible! This wasn’t supposed to happen! 

Shit. He was in too deep. Pull out. _Pull out…_

No. 

It was fine. 

He had nothing to worry about. It’s not like L would ever say yes… (the bastard.) 

The hair’s lifted on the back of Light’s neck as he became acutely aware of L’s soul-searing stare and he was once again thrown off guard when L was suddenly climbing over coffee table and mounds of valentines. Light gave a start when the peculiar detective parked himself so close that it had caused the younger man to stumble backwards onto the couch behind him. L was currently perching in his lap, a spidery hand falling possessively on the brunet’s shoulder and he seemed either blissfully oblivious or unconcerned by the chorus of collective gasps from the taskforce. Light could smell the chocolate and strawberries on his breath as L leaned in so he was a scant hair’s breadth away from his face.

Light swallowed nervously. L’s sudden proximity felt strangely… _nice._ Somehow this was just… _right._

Crap.

What the hell was L playing at? 

Was he for real? 

He hadn’t expected L to reciprocate! 

Not in a million years. 

Crap. Crap. _Crap._

That threw a wrench in all of his carefully thought-out strategies—Light watched hopelessly as hundreds of plans and counter-plans came crashing down inside his head because he had honestly never accounted for such a scenario. 

L wasn’t supposed to reciprocate. 

L wasn’t supposed to look at him with such concern. 

L wasn’t supposed to be so… _human._

(So _nice._ ) 

Crap. What was he supposed to do now? 

Had the game truly changed or was this another manipulation? After all he had just had a moment of weakness and L had immediately seized it. 

Ryuuzaki might be…

But L still sought his destruction. 

Didn’t he? 

“Er… I’m glad you like the chocolates, L… I mean Ryuuzaki. I, uh… I should get home.”

“Do you have to go? There are plenty of beds here if you get tired. You could stay the night.” 

L again gave him that look of genuine concern as he patted him on the back when Light began choking. 

“Light needs to get home now,” Souichiro insisted sternly.

“Really? That’s too bad.” L murmured as he pressed something small and hard into the palm of Light’s hand and folded the younger man’s fingers over it with care before crawling back to his own chair at the end of the table.

Light took a deep breath, his heart pounding audibly in his chest, as he slowly opened his fist to reveal the tiny pink candy heart, the words “Be Mine” etched in Red #5. 

“I’ll stay!” the brunet blurted out suddenly. 

_“Light!”_

“I… I want to stay with Ryuuzaki. _Please?”_

***

“Well I’m beat,” the scruffy detective declared with an exaggerated stretch and yawn after the rest of the taskforce had (after much protestations and drama) finally left. “I think I’ll turn in early tonight.” 

_“You?!”_ Light said in disbelief. He had it on good authority that L hardly ever slept. 

Light became even more disconcerted when Ryuk winked at him and drifted through the wall. The Shinigami had only shown him that sort of courtesy when taking care of certain male needs (and then only after much cajoling and bribery with apples) Ryuk didn’t think he was going to do something like that in front of L…?!

“Just let me slip into something more comfortable.”

Really, L? What could possibly be more comfortable than his usual outfit of loose sweater and baggy denim…? 

_Oh. **Oh!**_

It was in a daze Light’s feet had somehow taken him into L’s bedroom. 

The would-be God swallowed harshly upon finding L crouching at the end of the bed in nothing but a pair of loose red heart-print boxers, which Light thought looked ridiculous, yet his breath caught again when Ryuuzaki looked up at him shyly through his cascade of dark bangs and Light realized just how absolutely breathtaking the man looked when he smiled. 

“Would Light-kun like to join me?” 

Light found himself nodding but remained frozen, unsure of how to proceed. L grinned and forcefully pulled him down by his tie so that Light ended up sprawled, awkwardly on top of him. The raven haired detective reached up and kissed him sweetly.

Light was able to figure things out from there. He was a genius after all. 

***

 **20 Years later**

Light sighed, running his hands down the cool leather of the notebook before returning it to the Vault. He wouldn’t lie, he missed it sometimes. He was still changing the world of course but now things were progressing so much slower than he would have liked. L was rather insistent that Light’s “writing skills” should only be used as a last resort when the law failed and the target was an imminent danger to others. It’s not like he needed L’s permission to judge it’s just he couldn’t do it without L giving him that unbearable look of sad disappointment. So things were proceeding slower than he would have liked... but then that made Ryuuzaki happy and that in turn made Light happy so he decided it was a tolerable compromise.

They had talked it out. 

Not all at once of course. They were careful to be respectful of each others needs but neither was afraid to call the other out on their bullshit either which lead to some truly epic rows in the beginning only solved through an intermediary—usually Ryuk or Watari (bless his soul). Given their rocky beginnings it was hard to believe that they’d been together for almost twenty years. Light never allowed himself to forget how lucky he was. He knew they had both taken a calculated risk to trust each other and it had been absolutely _terrifying_ to lay himself bare before L, acutely aware of the detective’s dark, judging eyes as he shared with him the most intimate parts of himself. Light remembered still how L had delicately held the pages bleeding with ink between thumb and forefinger as he read name after name and made him tell him why. Light always had an answer. On a surprising number of them those dark eyes lit up with approval upon hearing his rationale. Of course L saw fit to remind him that murder was wrong. Of course—he knew that. But it was always already too late for him anyway. So he might as well try to help how he could and it hardly mattered if he stained his hands in more blood. L seemed to beg to differ. And while he wouldn’t stop him from being Kira he did request that Light put the notebook away for a while and just solve cases with him. 

Light had resisted parting with his notebook at first but it turned out L could be very persuasive (or at least he had a very talented tongue) so in the end Light had indulged him. And against all odds they actually _worked_ , they just _clicked_ and together they made an unstoppable force for justice. Despite all their superficial differences it was almost scary how alike they actually were. It was almost as if they shared the same brain. Light didn’t believe any of that mushy crap about soul mates or anything but if he did have a soul mate he decided it was most definitely L. 

They trusted each other as much as either of them was capable of trusting another. Light still didn’t know L’s true name nor did he want to—it wasn’t important anyway—he knew L even if he didn’t know the name he was born with. And there were still facets of himself that he kept concealed even from L. Or so he thought. Of course it was difficult to truly hide anything from the world’s greatest detective but perhaps it was that L was respectful enough to let him _think_ he could keep some of his secrets when it was harmless enough to let him keep his pride. 

Despite never being formally charged with any crime L kept Light under house arrest in his custody but Light didn’t exactly mind—in fact there was no place in the world he’d rather be. Things were never boring with L. They kept busy, traveling the world, solving cases and teaching online courses at the school for gifted orphans that Watari had established. 

Light sauntered into the living area of the place they were staying at this week to find L leaning over the computer bank, giving Ryuk tips on his Candy Crush strategy. They got along surprisingly well—perhaps too well seeing as they found a common interest in teasing him but Light didn’t exactly begrudge them for it. After all it was a necessary security precaution that none of them went out very much and they didn’t really have any other friends. Though Light wished they would occasionally deign to help out with the housekeeping as it were and pick up their discarded candy wrappers and apple cores. 

“You put it away?” L inquired, not looking up from the game. 

Light nodded. “He’s dead.”

“Good.” 

Richard Weyland. Multiple homicide. Hiding behind daddy’s money, police contacts, and a crack team of lawyers so no charges would ever stick. Too dangerous to be left alive. 

Light was all too aware of the irony. 

“Ryuk, I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to steal my husband back for a minute.” 

“Are we going to cuddle on the couch?” His raven haired detective asked ever so hopefully. 

“Would you like that?” Light teased. 

“Hmmmm… Very much, yes.” 

**“Then longer than a minute, I’m sure,”** the Shinigami snickered as he clicked the mouse with his talons and the game made another satisfying ding. **“Alright, you kids have fun!”**

Light shot Ryuk an annoyed look. They were hardly kids anymore. But then they could have crow’s feet and grey hairs but they would always be “kids” to the immortal death god. It was an odd thing to contemplate. They would die one day but Ryuk would remain on and on. Godhood was such a lonely existence. He wasn’t sure why he ever aspired to it. 

Light smiled softly as his favorite deranged monkeyman climbed on top of him, his pale spidery fingers trailing through his hair. 

Life was good.


End file.
